Black spots swarmed Link's vision as he tried to recover from the blow. It vaguely reminded him of those pesky hornets that hovered over the store in Ordon. Of course, there was no way to attack this hive. A slingshot would probably make this situation worse rather than better. A constant ringing kept attacking his ear, and his head ached and throbbed angrily. He tried to push himself up, but the more he tried to kick the limp corpse off of him, the more dizzy and confusing the world became. Any bit of the world he could see through his inky vision was shaking and moving in waves. Link could just barely make out the figure approaching him. He did his best to brace himself for a hit, lifting his arms to give himself a little protection in this weak state.
Instead, the figure just let out a heavy sigh. It would've been comical if not for the pulsing adrenaline rushing through him. Slowly, the weight of the body was pulled off his chest. A cough shook him as a substantial amount of air returned to his lungs. Link figured that if the figure wanted to hurt him, it would've done so by now. He stopped struggling and lay still. Funnily enough, once he stopped moving, his vision began to clear and the ringing seemed to die. The throbbing was still very present, though. Link tried to croak out some words. But only raspy coughs came out.
The new plan was to figure out who this person was instead of asking. Link turned and analyzed his savior. Whoever it was seemed to have a small frame, surprising for a fighter. Would explain the quick and precise movements he saw. A long light braid trailed down the person's back. Might be female, he noted. The top of the head was obscured by a white cap. He didn't know the person, but the attire was certainly familiar. It reminded him of something else he'd seen in the battered old legend book. Daggers upon daggers lined the person's legs and waist. Armor and wraps covered most of the body with a dark blue undersuit peeking through. But the most noticeable was the bright red eye covering the chest armor.
The figure looked up at him and he again was startled by two more red eyes. It was something out of a nightmare, almost. They pierced his own, looking blank and wary. A mask covered the rest of the face, leaving only the red eyes.
Link stood up and leaned against the wall for balance, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. This person looked more like a warrior than he did. And whoever this was just watched him fail miserably at slaying a monster. Curses for not being quite used to thumbs yet. He decided to give speaking another try.
"Hi." Link said, giving the tiniest wave.
The figure only nodded in response. He then pulled a blackened dagger out of his many sheaths and began cleaning the blood off.
Okay, so maybe he's not friendly. Link gave it another shot. "Sorry about that." He smiled sheepishly.
The figure put the knife back, fresh and clean. "Your sword. It's on the right shoulder, not the left."
"...What?"
The figure, whose voice was leaning toward feminine, looked up at him. "You kept reaching for your left shoulder. Your scabbard is on the right."
Link's cheeks burned red. That would explain it. He was left-handed. He didn't even think about the gods assuming his being right-handed. "Oh. Um. I'm not used to hands."
The stranger's head jerked so quickly to face him that the braid made an audible slap against the back. "...You're not used to hands." She repeated, slowly.
Link felt himself die inside. "Um, I'm Link." He outstretched his hand for a shake. Perhaps changing the subject would save his dignity.
The stranger nodded and gave a firm shake. "Sheik."
"Sheik." Link repeated. "So what brings you here?"
"I'm looking for the Hero. I believe that's you?" Sheik's brow quirked up.
"Why would you think that?" Link stepped back, guarding himself.
"The green is a dead giveaway." Sheik said plainly.
"Oh." Link looked down at his new outfit.
"I did also overhear the gods claim you." Sheik explained.
"That makes more sense." Link nodded, still staying back. Sheik seemed trustworthy enough, considering she had just saved his life, but something seemed off about her.
Sheik saw his distance and held her hands up in surrender. "I'm here to help. I don't want a fight."
"Help?" Link relaxed his guard slightly. "But why?"
"I'm one of the last remaining of the Sheikah tribe. It's my duty to protect the kingdom."
The puzzle clicked in his head. That's why he recognized the armor and the red eye. The Sheikah were an old race born to protect and serve the royal family. But they had almost been completely wiped out after the Great War. There were only one or two confirmed living members of the tribe left, and they were hidden. Occasionally a rumor of a sighting would pop up, but that was rare. Still, there was a strong possibility Sheik wasn't lying. How could you fake those nightmare eyes?
He took a deep breath to help himself process. "Alright. A Sheikah tagging along. Totally a normal day."
Sheik nodded and stared blankly. "Do you know where you need to go next?"
"Home? Take a nap?" Link hoped.
Sheik stiffened and shook her head.
"What, do you know?" Link raised his eyebrow.
"Yes." Sheik motioned for him to follow her, walking towards the exit.
"Ok, where?" Link asked.
Sheik hesitated. "Do you know how to cross the flooded clearing?"
"Yes. Is that where we're going?"
Sheik kept silent.
Link stopped following, clearing his throat to get her to turn around. "Yeah, that's not going to work."
Sheik tilted her head. "What is it?"
"I need you to tell me what's going on."
"I'll tell you when you need to know."
"Bullshit."
Sheik gave a heavy sigh. "I don't know what I can trust you with, so forgive me if I'm not sharing everything." Her tone bit.
"Well, how will you ever know if you can trust me if you don't try?" Link scoffed. Seemed like the obvious solution.
Sheik looked to the side, clenching her jaw. "It's not that simple. What I know is old Sheikah knowledge, handed down from generations. I can't just tell anyone."
"Then what's even the point of you looking for me if you know all the answers?"
"I was told to find the hero. I was told you had information needed to help me." Sheik countered. "And so far, I don't have any information from you. Anything you would care to share?"
Link held his tongue. He could mention the wolf, Midna, or what he learned about Twilight. But it didn't seem right to tell her.
Sheik waited a few moments in silence. "You see? You aren't willing to tell me things either. But I will compromise with you."
"Fine. How?"
"I will tell you what you need to know for today. If we're lucky, we can finish by sundown. If we do, then we tell each other everything we know. Does that seem reasonable?" Sheik stepped towards him.
Link mulled it over for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. So tell me."
"Not yet. First," Sheik gestured in front of them, "You need to tell me how you crossed this flood."
The flooded clearing before them was the same as it was when Link crossed it maybe an hour ago. Not that he expected much to change. Somehow it felt worse to him than before. The memory of how the poison burned and corroded his skin was not a pleasant one.
"We need to get to the other side." Sheik surveyed the area, trying to find a way across.
"I've gotten across before but I did fall in. Don't recommend it." Link rubbed at his arms. The burning from the poison was still very strong in his memory.
"I wasn't planning on testing it. How did you get across, assuming you didn't just swim?"
Link pointed at the branches. "I jumped across on the trees. I've climbed quite a few trees in my life, so I know how a strong branch looks. I got maybe halfway before there weren't any more stable branches."
"Point out what path you chose."
"Um, okay." Link named off which trees he had jumped to before his fall. "...but you see, when I got to the sixth one, there weren't any stable ones."
Sheik furrowed her brow in thought. "Then we take a different route. That would work, wouldn't it? The fifth branch you went to has many branches near it. One of them is bound to be stable and it might lead to more path options."
Link tried to see through the branches and find the fifth one again. Sure enough, there was a different branch than the one he had chosen before. "Okay. I'll give it a shot. Stay here."
He found jumping was a little harder as his normal self than when he was a wolf. As a wolf he could jump a little further and had more legs he could push off of. He even saw a couple of his paw print marks on the layer of soil on top of the branches. He made it over to the new path and looked around for his next step.
He was close enough to the rock walls. There were a bunch of ridges and dips in the rock that could potentially work as hand and footholds. If he was right, then he could climb all the way over without needing to go back onto the branches. He took the step and fit his feet into the small crevices. His leather gloves made the hand holds much easier and gave a little more grip. It took a few slow minutes and his muscles were burning afterwards, but he made his way over the flood.
When he jumped back down onto the ground, he yelled over to Sheik. "SO WHEN YOU GET TO -"
"No need."
Link jumped two feet and let out a nonhuman sound. "What the fuck? What? Why?"
Sheik let out a small laugh before covering her mouth. "Sheikah magic. Teleporting." Sheik shrugged. Even through the mask, Link could tell Sheik was smiling.
"I need a second." Link shook his head and sat down, hand over his heart. The shot of panic he got was almost worse than when he had fallen into the acid.
"As do I." Sheik sat near him. "I don't use teleporting magic often. It demands quite a bit of energy, especially long distances. But I'll admit, scaring you was a little funny."
"Ha ha. Whatever. You laugh like a girl, anyway." Link mumbled.
Sheik threw a dirty look at him. "That's good, considering I am one. I know the attire is a little… androgynous, but I assure you, I'm female. But you'd be surprised at how coming off as a male helps with gathering information."
"I don't think I'd be surprised. I always come off as a male, personally." Link joked.
"Ha, ha. How fortunate for you." Subtle sarcasm dripped from her words.
"Okay. We crossed the lake. So now what? Why are we here?" Link pushed for answers.
"Can you see up there?" Sheik pointed to the top of the tree trunk bridge, a little far in the distance. "There's where we have to go."
Link nodded. "Okay, I've been up there before. Why?"
"There should be an opening. Ages ago, the gods sealed away a very dangerous weapon. If we can find it, and give it to the right person, then we could have a shot at overthrowing Hyrule's attacker. He has access to very dark, old magic. This is the only possible way I can think of to defeat him. The Sheikah before me have told tales about the weapon being hidden away in Faron Woods, at the top of the tree trunk bridge." Sheik explained.
"You said give the weapon to the 'right person'. Is that me?" Link asked.
"No. But I know of a twilight being who can wield it."
Link chewed on his lip in thought. In the back of his mind he wondered if Midna would know anything about this. "So. We're playing scavenger hunt for something we can't even use?"
Sheik sighed. "Do we have any other choice? I've been told of how powerful the attacker is. We wouldn't be able to fight on our own. This is the only opportunity we have to match him."
"...so we just walk up the bridge, find an entrance, and go grab the piece?" It didn't seem like the most difficult task.
Sheiks shifted uncomfortably. "As long as no other person or creature has made contact with it. The dark power could corrupt someone's mind very easily. There could be a fight ahead of us, and you'll need to know how to grab for your sword."
"Shove off." Link mumbled. He slipped the scabbard off his back and replaced it on the opposite side. He reached up and easily touched the handle of his sword. At least no modifications had to be made for switching the scabbard from right to left-handed.
"You said you had been there before. Did you notice any openings, any hidden crawl spaces?" Sheik peered over at the top of the bridge.
"Not really. The times I was there I was a little more preoccupied with fighting rather than taking a tour." Link said.
"Then let's go take a tour." Sheik stood and outstretched her hand to Link, helping him up.
Link sighed and dusted off his new green gear. This day would never end.
Sheik stayed quiet during the walk. She was trying hard not to give away too much about herself and what she knew. Perhaps after they found the weapon, she could reveal herself a little. Or rather, a piece of the weapon. She wasn't quite ready to explain to Link that the weapon was broken into fragments. Once they got this first piece, though, she would tell him the truth.
Thought traced across her face as she scanned the bridge just ahead of them. The ground just beyond it did appear to house some sort of cavern, and that something appeared to be large. The gods wouldn't just leave this hidden shadow piece unguarded. She knew that there was likely a puzzle ahead of them, and a few fights would occur. She glanced up at the slowly fading sunset, deciding. If they were to leave soon, then they might be able to reach the second location before sundown. There, they could rest. She definitely felt the ache of fatigue. She had been constantly wandering the past few days searching for the hero. Lack of sleep was already working against her, not to mention the energy she'd need for magic. She needed to rely on daggers as much as possible.
Sheik shifted her gaze over to Link, the fabled Hero in green. Link seemed inexperienced, to say the least. He came off friendly and trusting. Convincing him hadn't been too much trouble. Ideally, Sheik would've gone on this journey herself, but Impa had told her to come here first. The memory of Impa caused her to wince. She hoped Impa was still alright alone at the castle. Impa was a capable warrior, but Sheik had seen the power the shadow beings held.
That was the exact detail about Link that worried Sheik. She knew Link's performance against the shadow being wasn't very reflective of his true fighting skill, since he had been the one to restore Faron, but he just seemed amateur overall. There was still a soft kindness to him. He hadn't been hardened by death and war just yet. A pang of sadness strung Sheik. This poor man. Link was so bright and a little funny now, but Sheik knew how fast that might fade. The legends of the Hero were filled with rage and blood. She couldn't imagine how that would transform Link. The gods could be cruel.
They approached the top of the bridge. Some stumps dotted the natural landing, but ahead there was a wall covered in dust and spiderwebs. Sheik eyed the sides of the landing and bridge. There was supposed to be a hidden entrance somewhere. Impa had told Sheik so, and Impa was one of the old.
Sheik looked over to Link who looked just as confused as she was. He reached and lightly traced his hand over the coated wall.
"Do you have any ideas?" Sheik asked, walking up next to him.
Link's brow was furrowed in thought. "I think. You see, here, the spiderwebs don't move. But here," He walked to the other side. "Here, you can see the wind pushing the webs a little. There could be something behind it, it's just really covered."
Sheik raised her brow in surprise. New observation about the hero: he wasn't stupid.
"Why not use your sword?" Sheik pointed at the scabbard.
Link nodded and grabbed it from the scabbard. But a quick slice did almost no damage to the thick coverings.
"It's...strong?" Link tilted his head and made a face. "Maybe your dagger?"
Sheik shrugged and walked up. She whipped a dagger out from one of her sheaths and attempted to cut. But no matter the force or effort, the blade did nothing. She put the dagger back, equally as puzzled as Link.
"You got any more magic tricks?" Link said hopefully.
Sheik nodded, reluctant. Now even more of her power would be sapped away. Fire magic was demanding. "One moment, please."
She pressed her hands together and closed her eyes, focusing her energy. This had always been difficult for Sheik. Impa said it would come faster and more naturally with practice, but for now, it took a lot of effort. After a moment of concentration, Sheik finally felt the surge of magic flow to her hands. She opened her eyes and saw the small flame snap to life in her palms. Sheik pressed it to the spiderwebs and jumped back as they caught fire.
"Woah." Sheik heard Link say under his breath. A small surge of pride raced through her. Not only was this idea working, but she didn't embarrass himself with needing multiple tries.
The fire went out quickly and completely destroyed the coverings. Behind the webs was a creepy, dark tunnel leading into the cave. Torches lined the sides and burst into flame once the webs had disappeared.
"What kind of…?" Link mumbled.
Sheik smiled at him. "The gods placed protections to keep these pieces from the wrong hands. I'm not surprised that they have their own tricks, too."
"Well, I guess using fire is one way of trying to be hot. Me, personally, I try to depend more on my good looks." Link joked, dramatically flipping his hair.
Sheik flushed red. "Just keep walking." She walked faster to leave Link behind.
"Aw, no laugh? I thought that was a good one." Link pouted, rushing to catch up.